Open sesame

A natural hair treatment

Black sesame seeds are the most common tonic herb in Chinese cooking. Chinese have used black sesame seeds as a natural hair treatment for thousands of years. People believe it helps to restore hair color, and grow thick, strong hair very efficiently.

Do you want to have shiny and healthy hair? There's no need to buy any expensive hair products or treatments. To grow shiny and healthy hair, all you need is black sesame seeds. And it suits all hair types.

Apart from the beneficial effects on hair, sesame is also good for general health. Sesame contains healthy quantities of many minerals, vitamins and other compounds. According to published references, these ingredients include iron, magnesium, calcium, potassium, zinc, copper, phosphorous, vitamin E, vitamin B1, vitamin B6, unsaturated oleic and linoleic fatty acids (omega-6 source), protein, and folic acid. Sesame also contains substantial quantities of a unique anti-oxidant, Sesamin.

Some simple black sesame hair treatment remedies.

1.Black sesame drink: Blend 110g black sesame seeds, 2 cups of water and 2 tablespoons of rock sugar in a food processor till smooth.
2.Black sesame milk : When drinking warm warm milk, stir in one or two tablespoons of black sesame powder.
3.Black sesame and black bean milk: Blend one cup cooked black beans, few tablespoons of black sesame seeds, 4 cups of warm water and rock sugar to taste in a food processor, to make a smooth drink.
4.Black sesame salt: Grind 130g black sesame seeds, and 2 teaspoons of sea salt in a food processor, till it forms a powder. Use it on salad, steam vegetables, rice or noodles dishes. Note, for this particular recipe, do not overblend the sesame, or it becomes a sticky paste.
5.Black sesame seeds: Simply eat it as a snack like other kinds of nuts, 15g to 25g a day. Or serve on salads, grills, to give a special aroma and crunchy taste.
6.Black sesame oil: Try to get pure black sesame oil. Use ginger to flavor the oil for stir fried dishes.
7.Black sesame and honey spread: Blend 130g black sesame seeds, 80ml vegetable oil, 80ml honey, and 1 tablespoon black sesame oil in a food processor to make a smooth paste. Spread on bread, or sandwich or cookies.
8.Black sesame rice porridge: Blend 70g black sesame seeds, and 1 cup cooked rice, 1 cup warm water, and 2 tablespoons black sugar in a food processor to mix well. Bring the black sesame and rice mixture to boil then simmer for a few minutes to make rice porridge (congee).

Is it so easy to grow healthy and beautiful hair?

Yes, for most people, it is. According to some ancient herbal books, black sesame is a very good tonic for the liver and kidneys, and helps in producing blood cells. And black sesame improves blood circulation, which carries the nutrients more effectively to all of the hair, skin, and body.

Black sesame seeds are a very good source of vitamin E, which is known for hair and skin care. The lecithin and protein in the black sesame seeds are scientifically proven to have beneficial effects on growing hair.

Although it is simple to eat food that contains black sesame seeds in order to improve hair quality, you still need to be patient, because, as with most dietary measures of this kind, it takes from weeks to months to notice a real difference.

Some practitioners recommend using black sesame seeds with polygonum to keep a person's hair looking rich and dark

Comments

I just purchased a bag of black sesame powder because I had a great drink at Starbucks in Tien Mu (Taipei) called a Sesame Green Tea Latte. Can you tell me if I can just mix in a tablespoon into my GreenMax Green Tea Matcha Milk packet? It sounds too easy - but what do you think? gghaupt@gmail.com

I stumble on your site while looking for info on black sesame for my hair. My hair been falling out quite much lately. Can you answer my question? Do I really need 15g to 25g a day? because right now I'm just taking a tablespoon of roasted black sesame a day. Is it still beneficial? And also, which is better? raw or roasted black sesame seeds. Would it still have the same benefits.

The first thing I would suggest is to consult a doctor about your hair, to make sure there are no serious problems and get professional advice.

Regarding sesame seeds, I know the owner of a sesame products factory, he is in his fifties, his hair is still very shiny and thick. I asked him how to have hair like his. He told me that eating black sesame seeds will be helpful, and it will be more useful to eat it several times a day.

So I assume, if you are taking a tablespoon of black sesame, then you can increase the times of eating them, like three to five times a day. The owner told me not to take all at once, try to spread it out during the day.

Try to buy the sesame seeds, not the powder, it's not as good. And I never try the raw sesame seeds, as it not as fragrance.

If you got tired of eating sesame seeds, try our recipes. Different ways of eating them would make black sesame seeds more fun to eat.

Thank you for replying so fast. You mean increase the amount of sesame seeds I take right now. Lets say I eat it five times a day so it'll be like 5 tablespoon? or do you mean 1 tablespoon but spread it out during the day.

I'm not sure you answered Jodi's question concerning roasted versus non-roasted. If I want to darken my hair using black sesame seeds, does it matter if I eat the roasted ones for this or does the roasting process remove the ingrediants that will make my hair darker, thereby making these sesame seeds ineffective. Thanks,
Art

Another idea for those of you who are wanting to add more sesame seed to your diet is to make a sesame smoothie. Sesame is FULL of calcium too, so if you are lactose intolerant this would be a wonderful choice. Though most of the products I list are raw, it can be made with roasted/toasted ingredients as well. Here is a typical sesame smoothie for my husband and I:

1/4 cup sesame seed, soaked overnight. Drain and rinse. (It does not matter if it is brown, black, hulled or un-hulled, though we use raw 'un-toasted' sesame seed.)
1 banana
pinch raw sea salt (meaning salt that was not heat processed)
Water, pure water if you can get it

In a blender place the sesame seeds, banana, salt and just enough water to make the blender run. You want to blend the sesame into a paste. This could take a minute as I usually have to stop the blender once and scrape the seeds back down into the container and start it up again. When the seeds are as near a paste as you wish, add more water to thin to a desired consistency.

The whole process can take a little time and the sesame milk is usually slightly warmed by all the blending, but my husband and I love it this way. A very cozy, rich way to begin or end the day.

I like to add a little flavoring now and then, such as:
Ground cardamom (pinch)
Ground raw cacao
Teaspoon of raw coconut oil/butter

I don't always remember to soak the seeds the night before and it works out just fine. When using raw, un-hulled seeds, you not only get more calcium out of it, but more fiber and when soaked, you awaken the life inside the seed, catching it in your drink!

Hi Ann,
Make it as fine as you can in a few minutes with the pestle and mortar. The fineness would mostly be somewhere between granulated sugar and fine sand. But you can vary the fineness quite a lot and it will still be OK - try variations and see how it affects the texture and flavor.
Hope this helps, feel free to ask more questions.
Jodie

How does the sesame seeds work when is all gray hair? I have asked a store manager how long would it take to see some darkening and he replied anywhere in between 1 year to 10 years.
Is that the same information you have?

Hi,
I really don't think black sesame can have such a dramatic effect for someone who already has completely gray or white hair.
From my experience, all I can say is that people who have a healthy diet, which includes good nutritional sources like black sesame, may see some darkening of their hair in some areas of their head (especially at the back of the head), and they may keep their original hair colour longer as they get older.
Also, I'm a bit suspicious of the suggestion that you have to wait up to ten years to see some darkening, as the hair growth cycle is much quicker than that.
Jodie

Hi Sheeba,
Similar to my answer above, I think that eating black sesame as part of your normal diet can help with your overall health, which includes the health of your hair, but it's very unlikely to dramatically change the hair colour of all the hair on your head.
Jodie

Hi Jodie
I found your blog after researching information on black sesame and black bean powder. I bought some today and if I understood correctly, I was advised to use 3 tablespoons at a time in water/milk or in yogurt. Would that be your recommendation as well? I was told about this product from my hair stylist (who is Korean) when I complained about hair loss. She gave me the name of a Korean health food store which is where I purchased this combination. Any advice?

Dear Laura,
Black sesame and black bean are very good for hair. But you can simply add the toasted black sesame to the rice or noodles, or even salads and milk shake. Just eat them as often as you can.

the seeds tend to get stuck between my teeth. can i just roast the seeds, grind them and store the powder in the freezer - ready for use. will it be as beneficial? how long will the shelf life of the powder be?

I've been making a tea with black sesames - cup of water - two tea spoon of seeds - one tea spoon of sugar - and the peels of one small orange to flavor it. ( been drinking the tea and then eating the seeds) Does anyone know how long it would take before I would see results about get the original color back to my hair. Am I consuming too little? Thanks

Hi !
I just read your suggestion about black sesame seeds and its benefits. So I bought for the treatment of my hair. My hair is falling too much and its very thin.
I am eating sesame seeds as raw daily twice a day. After how long can I get my hair thicken. Please advise how long can I eat black sesame seeds because I afraid of my weight gain from eating black sesame seeds.

A teaspoon of the black sesame seeds adding to the drink in the morning or evening is good. But a little more is better, for example one table spoon is better.

Normally, it would be most effective to grind up the seeds before adding to the drink. You could just chew them, but I think that would be a bit less effective. Basically, I think if the seed is not broken open, and preferably broken into small pieces, then your body will not digest it very effectively, and it's less likely to have any benefit.

Do not take whole raw black sesame seeds. Black sesame seeds are particularly high in phytic acid. Phytic acid has a strong binding affinity to important minerals, such as calcium, iron, and zinc. When phytic acid binds with minerals in our intestines, it impairs their absorption, and inhibits certain enzymes needed for digestion.

In other words, raw sesame seeds does not get digested by our bodies, it came out in our bowels and at the same time, causes loss of some minerals which binded themselves to the phytic acid.

Soaking and roasting them greatly decrease the phytic acid content. To get its health benefits, soak, roast and grind the sesame seeds. The organic powdered form with no sugar added is good - as those are grounded from roasted seeds.

If you take black sesame as one of your source of daily carbo and NOT on top of your daily carbo, it should not cause weight gain. Watch the calories. If you commonly drink a mug of nestle cereal / milo with 2 slices of bread for breakfast -- add a tablespoon of unsweetened black sesame powder into the nestle cereal and take with 1 slice of bread, instead of 2. That should not result in higher calorie intake and hence no risk of weight gain.

Hi, my hair has started to turn grey a lot lately though I'm young n as someone adviced I'm taking powdered sesame seeds 2 teaspoons in milk twice daily , I just wanted to know how long will it take to get my hair colour back as hair is turning grey at the centre on my scalp n is visible n very upsetting,n will it happen or not.will b waiting for ur reply. Thankyou.

I am new to sesame seeds. I would like to know if after soaking the Black sesame seed, the water should be dark, ink like? AND, how long should I soak them? I read different comments about this and am confused. Thanks

saw a product called black sesame paste in chinese shops..its actually sesame and beans mix as shown on label. I started eating it as a spread on bread for breakfast. It really is tasty and filling. but Im wondering what will be its impact on teeth..because its sugary (though only lightly sugared). Im trying to be very careful on my teeth because I neglected before. Oh and now i know its good for hair..great

Yes. The shell (hull) of black sesame seeds is black. But the inside is not black, is very pale color. If you soak the black seseam all day, whick will make the shell very soft, then when you rub them, they turn white.